The present invention relates generally to methods and apparatuses for configuring functional blocks having integrated circuitries that are used to fabricate electronic assemblies. More specifically, the invention relates to methods and apparatuses for configuring functional blocks to facilitate the deposition of the functional blocks onto a substrate to form the electronic assemblies.
Currently, many electronic devices exist that depend on integrated circuitry (IC) components for their functionalities. These electronic devices include for example, radios, audio systems, televisions, telephones, cellular phones, computer systems, computer display monitors, smart cards, to name a few. As these electronic devices become more and more complex, demands for smaller packaging IC increase. Microstructures have been created in which the appropriate ICs can be incorporated. These microstructures are sometimes referred to as functional blocks. These functional blocks are typically deposited into a substrate of an electronic device using methods such as fluidic self-assembly.
An example of a fluidic self-assembly (FSA) is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,545,291. In a typical FSA process, blocks with integrated circuits thereon are placed into a FSA fluid such as water. The combination of the blocks in the FSA fluid, referred to as a slurry, is dispensed over receptor sites in a substrate. The receptor sites receive the plurality of blocks and the blocks are subsequently electrically coupled to form the electronic assemblies.
The ICs in these functional blocks typically include additional logics and circuit layouts such that when assembled into the substrate, these functional blocks must be assembled in a particular orientation. Current methods to help the functional blocks to assemble in the proper orientation include making the functional blocks to have a trapezoidal shape and the receptor sites receiving these functional blocks to have a complementary trapezoidal shape.
Even with such kind of shaped functional blocks, the current methods in the art do not yield a very efficient filling process. Many receptor sites in the substrate are left unfilled at the end of the FSA process. In many cases, some functional blocks may fall to the surface of the substrate without settling into the receptor sites. Functional blocks not settling into the receptor sites may be due to the weight of some functional blocks being heavier than the fluid causing the functional blocks to fall to the surface of the substrate in which a receptor site does not exist. Alternatively, some functional blocks may be dislodged from the receptor sites even after having been deposited into these receptor sites. The functional blocks being dislodged from the receptor sites may be due to additional treatment to the substrate such as cleaning and removing of excess blocks.
Having the functional blocks not being properly deposited into the receptor sties is problematic because electronic assemblies or devices manufactured with the receptor sites that lack a functional block generally operate less efficiently compared to electronic devices in which all of the functional blocks have been properly placed. Improperly placed or absent functional blocks also lead to a lower overall production yield. A manufacturer may solve this problem by using a variety of methods. For example, the FSA process may be repeated several times over the empty receptor sites. Applying several FSA processes, however, is expensive because it would require additional processing time, larger processing equipment in some cases, and additional functional blocks.
Moreover, most electronic devices need more than one type of IC components. There may also be needs for different types of shaped or sized functional blocks for different types of electronic devices to be assembled on the same substrate. Different types of functional blocks which need to be assembled on the same substrate unnecessarily complicate the FSA processing steps because they require additional steps to assemble each different type of functional block. Additionally, the functional blocks of one type could assemble into the receptor sites meant for different sites, thereby leading to functional failure of the electronic device.